After having won the Mercury Prize for her first album Speech Therapy in 2009, many people thought that the second one would follow straight away, just so that the hype could immediately be turned into sales figures. Instead, after listening to Freedom of Speech for the first time, it’s time to congratulate Speech Debelle for having taking her time to create the successor. Because two years ago, a rush job could have never been as diversified and, more importantly, matured as this record. The 28-years-old singer has opened up to the world in these two years, so that her – still somewhat private lyrics – now exude a kind of political urgency. That’s not only emphasized by the inofficial anthem of the English riots, Blaze Up A Fire, or by the album’s title itself. It’s also her shift towards new musical influences which makes Freedom Of Speech being such a strong record. Together with Kwes, who also helped refining the current DELS-record, she now dares to peak into reggae-, pop- and even crossover-fields. What came out, neither sounds calculated, nor forced, nor immature. The lifeblood and the unconditional will to cross borders can be heard in every single note – and the last track, Sun Dog, should make everyone’s jaw drop and illustrate how much more incredible this woman might actually become.
Speech Debelle
Sunday Dinner On A Monday
Monday Session